With a name like ‘widowbird,’ you’d expect this dusky male to have a low-key love life. But those 20-inch-long tail feathers are highly favored by females, even though they can make it difficult for the males to fly on windy days. The display has been the subject of much study regarding sexually selected traits and the tradeoffs between physical constraint and attracting a mate, since the tail feathers don’t seem to aid in flight and may even cause a hinderance. Ah, the things we do for love.
Longtailed widowbird at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Museum Night in Berlin
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Long-eared owl in the Czech Republic
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Happy Cinco de Mayo!
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Cape Town at dusk
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The Gothic Gate in the Adršpach-Teplice Rocks, Czechia
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The forecast calls for blooms
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A festival of lights in India
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Wind horses carry wishes for a new year
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Computer Science EDU Week
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Rainbow River, Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida
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Humpbacks return to the Inside Passage
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Visiting Ahch-To on Star Wars Day
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Our Lady of the Rocks
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A bohemian feline
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The citadel in Bonifacio, Southern Corsica, France
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National Napping Day
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Chapel of St. Michel on Lake Serre-Ponçon, Hautes-Alpes, France
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Haaga Rhododendron Park
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Rooftops in the walled city of Urbino, Italy
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Bathing in the light of Pride
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Brown bears, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska
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Swinging into International Jazz Day
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We stand with Ukraine
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Snow buntings take flight
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Welcome to the Ring of Fire
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Incense making, Vietnam
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St. Patricks Day
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It s a ruff life
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Protecting endangered giants
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World Meteorological Day
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

